Publishing with Roper Center Data

As academic publication requirements have changed, many researchers have asked questions about how to work with Roper data for publication. The guidelines below are intended as a starting point for researchers and journal editors.

Dissemination of individual-level data (datasets or parts of datasets) from the Roper Center is not allowed under the terms and conditions of use. However, this restriction does not mean that researchers are unable to meet journal requirements for submission of replication datasets. Most journals have experience with submissions based on proprietary data and will work with authors and the data publisher to find a solution that meets the needs of all parties. There are several approaches to meeting publication requirements while still complying with the terms and conditions of use.

Publication of syntax files without data

In some cases, publication of syntax files, with a link to the location of the data at Roper Center, may provide enough information for journal editors.

Replication conducted by journal without publication of data

Some journals will run replication analysis on datasets and syntax files submitted to them by researchers for review without publishing the full data. Roper Center can provide data directly to the journal for verification purposes.

Archiving of replication and other secondary data at the Roper Center

Roper hosts secondary datasets based solely on data from the archive or on data from the archive combined with publicly available data. The Center highly encourages researchers to archive their replication data, whether or not archiving is required for replication purposes. Archiving with the Roper Center allows other researchers to access the data necessary for replication. Housing data at Roper increases visibility of researchers’ work and ensures that data are preserved for the future. In cases where the replication dataset exposes extremely limited amounts of data from the primary source, Roper can make the data available on request to any researcher, even those not associated with Roper member institutions.

Roper maintains close relationships with other major archives in the U.S. and around the world. If a researcher’s dataset is based on proprietary data from multiple archives, the Roper Center can work with the other archives to determine where the merged dataset would be best housed.